Democratisation and Political Transformation in Georgia

Abstract

Since declaring its independence in 1991, Georgia’s path toward democratisation and political transformation has been characterised by ups and downs. Georgia was determined to cut the Soviet Union ties and emerge as a functioning European state. The significant change started with the Rose Revolution in 2003. Although the United National Movement (UNM) government, which came to power after the revolution, implemented far-reaching structural reforms, it was harshly criticised for the shortcomings in the area of the rule of law and human rights. The highly competitive parliamentary elections in 2012 resulted in the first democratic change of power in Georgia’s history and an elected government democratically transferred power to another one – the Georgian Dream Coalition. The new government, which acknowledged the political influences and fundamental deficiencies in the court system, announced that it would ensure the independence of judges and depoliticisation of the judiciary. However, the Georgian Dream government failed to show a strong political will for systemic and radical changes, and for creating a truly independent judiciary. This chapter discusses the process of establishing the rule of law in Georgia in the aftermath of declaring independence with a particular focus on justice sector reforms, and analyses existing fundamental challenges that necessitate further efforts to strengthen democratic values in Georgia.